In previous chapters,Tanya has discussed various levels and forms of love of G‑d, each of which can inspire one to study Torah and observemitzvot with increased enthusiasm. In all these levels, the love consists of a yearning to become joined with G‑d, or else a desire that the Divine be revealed within one’s soul. For this reason, the love of G‑d arouses one directly to study Torah and observe its commandments, for through these a Jew becomes joined with G‑d, and G‑dliness becomes revealed in his soul.

Ch. 50 will discuss a different form of love. Rather than a yearning to become joined with G‑d, it is a thirst and craving for the Divine to the point ofklot hanefesh, an utter rapture that consumes the soul until it is on the verge of expiring into sheer G‑dliness. The aim of this love, then, is that the soul tear itself away from the body, and from whatever ties it to the body, and expire into G‑dliness.

Such a love of G‑d cannot prompt one directly to observe Torah and mitzvot, for this is possible only when the soul is enclothed within the body.

Nevertheless, the ultimate aim of every love of G‑d is to serve Him through fulfilling His Will — the Torah and the mitzvot — as a result of the inspiration of this love. In the case of klot hanefesh, however, it is not the state of love in itself which arouses one to serve G‑d through Torah and the mitzvot. It is rather through a contrary inclination aroused within the soul — during the very sensation of burning love for G‑d, when the soul is in a state of surging ahead towards Him and expiring into G‑dliness. At this very moment, one realizes that expiring is not the ultimate Divine intent. On the contrary, this intent is that the soul remain enclothed within the body, there to continue its task of drawing G‑dliness ever downward, and revealing it in this finite world.

This realization brings one to subordinate one’s own feelings. Instead of enjoying the rapturous sensation of surging forward, and expiring into G‑dliness, one comes to experience an opposite sensation — of returning, to become enclothed in the body, for the sake of fulfilling the Divine intent by observing Torah and the mitzvot.

All the forms and levels of love of G‑d discussed before ch. 50 are grouped under the term kesef (lit., “silver”), which Tanya derives etymologically from the same root, meaning “desire”. Kesef comes under the category ofChesed (“kindness”), whichTikkunei Zohar calls the “right arm” of the Divine stature.

In the Kabbalah, the tenSefirot are divided into three groups, called vertical “lines” — right, left, and center. The right line, known as the line of Chesed, consists ofChochmah, Chesed, andNetzach. The left line, known as the line ofGevurah, consists ofBinah, Gevurah, andHod. Thus, Chesed is an outgrowth of Chochmah, which begins its line, and Gevurah a product of Binah, which begins its line. (The other Sefirot are situated in the center line, which does not concern us here.)

The various kinds of love of G‑d discussed hitherto all come under the category of Chesed and kesef, and are therefore an outgrowth of Chochmah. But the love of G‑d in the form of klot hanefesh discussed in this chapter, comes under the category of Gevurah, which is called zahav (“gold”), and is an outgrowth of Binah.

והנה כל בחינות ומדרגות אהבה הנ״ל הן מסטרא דימינא, ובחינת כהן איש חסד

All the forms and levels of love mentioned above derive from the “right side,” from the level ofKohen, for a Kohen is called2 “a man of kindness,” meaning that his form of serving G‑d comes under the category of Chesed.

ונקראות: כסף הקדשים, מלשון: נכסוף נכספתה לבית אביך

They are called kesef hakodashim (“a longing for holy things”),3 as in the words,4 “You sorely longed for your father’s home” (where the Hebrew word for “longed” is etymologically related to the word kesef).

All these forms and levels of love of G‑d thus express the desire and longing of a Jew to become joined with G‑d. The words “for your father’s home” in the quoted verse refer to the level of Chochmah, which is called Abba (lit., “father”). This is also the connection with the term (kesef) hakodashim, for in theZohar, chochmah is called Kodesh (“holiness”). As explained in the introduction to this chapter, all these forms of love come under the category of Chesed, which is an outgrowth of Chochmah (lit., “wisdom”), for they directly inspire one to observe Torah and the mitzvot which derive from Divine Wisdom.

אך יש עוד בחינת אהבה העולה על כולנה, כמעלת הזהב על הכסף

There is, however, another level of love which excels all these aforementioned levels, as gold is superior to silver.

This superiority subsists not in degree or intensity, but rather in quality and character. This is not just a quantitative superiority — in that gold (in the analogy) is worth more than silver, a small quantity of it fetching a higher price than a large quantity of silver. The superiority of gold lies in the fact that the most refined type of gold possesses a captivating luster which glistens in the eyes of the beholder (as explained in the Zohar5). All other types of gold are related to this type. Silver, on the other hand, does not possess this quality.

The same distinction exists between the form of love described in this chapter, which has the characteristic of thirst and rapturous expiry into G‑dliness, and the other forms of love which do not have this quality.

והיא אהבה כרשפי אש

This is a love like glowing coals of fire — a burning love, unlike the aforementioned forms of love which are essentially “like water,” for the soul is drawn with a yearning towards G‑d, like water which flows and is attracted in a certain direction. (Hence in the wording of the Prayer for Rain said onShemini Atzeret: “Remember our forefather who was drawn after You like water”.) This love, on the other hand, has a totally different quality — that of glowing coals of fire.6

מבחינת גבורות עליונות דבינה עילאה

This derives from the level of the Higher Gevurot of the Higher Binah. In other words, the source of this love is from the level of Gevurah in Binah.

The arousal of this love comes about through meditation on the greatness of the Infinite One, before Whom all is considered as absolute nothingness.

תתלהט ותתלהב הנפש ליקר תפארת גדולתו, ולאסתכלא ביקרא דמלכא

Then, the soul becomes inflamed and flares up towards the precious splendor of His greatness, in order to gaze upon the glory of the King. This is the content of this love.

כרשפי אש שלהבת עזה העולה למעלה

It is like glowing, fiery coals of a mighty flame which surges upward (not a love which is drawn towards some object, but one which ascends with the burning fire of klot hanefesh),

וליפרד מהפתילה והעצים שנאחזת בהן

and it strives to be parted from the wick and wood on which it has taken hold.

In the same way, the soul seeks to tear away from the body, which is compared to a wick (ch. 35) and to wood (ch. 29), in relation to the fire and light of the soul.7

והיינו על ידי תגבורת יסוד האש אלקי שבנפש האלקית

This results from the predominance of the element of divine Fire that is in the divine soul, unlike other forms of love which derive from the element of Water in the divine soul.

ומזה באה לידי צמאון, וכמו שכתוב: צמאה לך נפשי

From this, the soul comes to a thirst. Just as, in the physical domain, one becomes thirsty when the element of Fire predominates, so it is in the spiritual domain, too: the ascendancy of the divine soul’s element of Fire creates a thirst within the soul, as it is written:8 “My soul thirsts for You.”9

ואחר כך לבחינת חולת אהבה

Then it reaches the level of “lovesickness”,10 where the soul is sick with love of G‑d, just as an unquenched physical thirst brings on a state of sickness.

ואחר כך באה לידי כלות הנפש ממש, כמו שכתוב: וגם כלתה נפשי

And then it comes to a virtual expiring of the soul (klot hanefesh), as it is written:11 “And my soul expires.” If not for the consequent contrary sensation of “retreat” and restraining oneself (as explained further), the soul would literally expire.

והנה מכאן יצא שורש הלוים למטה

From here, from the level of the Higher Gevurot of the Higher Binah, is derived the source of the divine service of the Levites below in this world.

(12In the future, when the world will be elevated, they will be theKohanim13 (unlike now, when the Levites are secondary to them, as it is written:14 “They shall accompany you and serve you”), as our Master, Rabbi Isaac Luria, of blessed memory, commented on the verse,15 “But the Kohanim, the Levites...” — that the Levites of today will become the Kohanim of the future.)16

ועבודת הלוים היתה להרים קול רינה ותודה, בשירה וזמרה, בניגון ונעימה

The Levites‘ service of G‑d was to raise their voice in melody and thanksgiving, with song and music, tunefulness and harmony. Music characteristically combines varied and even opposite moods, some serious (stemming from Gevurah) and others happy (stemming from Chesed).

בבחינת רצוא ושוב

Their music progressed in a manner of advance and retreat (ratzo, literally “running”, and shov, “returning”). This echoed their form of serving G‑d: the headlong advance towards klot hanefesh, and the restraint, retreat and return from that point.

Such is the nature of this intense love, like a flame that flashes out of the bazak, as is mentioned in theGemara (Chagigah, ch. 2).17

One translation of bazak is a crucible for refining gold, in which the flame flashes forth and immediately withdraws. InYechezkel 1:14, the angels called holy chayyot “run to and from (ratzo vashov) like the appearance of the bazak.” Likewise, the love of G‑d we are discussing in this chapter first experiences ratzo, a state in which the soul surges forward as if about to expire. But then comes shov, as it is written in Sefer Yetzirah: “If your heart runs, return to One.” In other words, when your heart seeks to undergo klot hanefesh, expiring into G‑dliness, then you should return to “One” — withhold yourself from this course and return, in order to bring the revelation of G‑d’s Oneness into this physical world. At this point one realizes that klot hanefesh is not the Divine intent, which is, rather, that the soul remain in the body and observe Torah and the mitzvot, thereby revealing the “One”, G‑d’s unity, in the world.

It is impossible to explain this subject clearly in writing. Yet every person with a feeling heart (i.e., who has perfection of heart), who is understanding (in that he uses his faculty of Binah), and intelligent in grasping a subject (by using his faculty of Chochmah), and delves deeply to attach his mind and understanding to G‑d (by using his faculty ofDaat), will find the goodness and light concealed within his intelligent soul, each according to his capacity:

יש מתפעל כו׳ ויש מתפעל כו׳

(one is affected in one way, from one type of meditation,...and one is affected in another way, by a different form of meditation),

after prefacing this meditation by fear of sin, the fear of doing wrong by sinning, in order to become utterly removed from evil, withholding oneself from doing any wrong, to avoid “your transgressions interposing between you and G‑d,...” G‑d forbid.

In other words, whatever form one’s excitement with love of G‑d takes, one must first be totally removed from evildoing.

* * *

The Alter Rebbe will now explain that since this love of G‑d is such that the soul is on the verge of expiring, it cannot inspire one directly to serve G‑d through Torah and mitzvot.

The order of one’s divine service through occupation with Torah study and mitzvot, a service deriving from this intense love, is possible only in a manner of retreat, i.e., when the soul withholds itself from expiring in order to fulfill the Divine intent, which can only be realized when the soul remains within the body.

As it is written in Sefer Yetzirah: “If your heart hastens, return to One.” “If your heart hastens” refers to the craving of the soul that is in the right side of the heart (the abode of the Divine soul), when this craving predominates and bursts into flame, and glows in such rapture that the soul is consumed with a desire (klot hanefesh) to pour itself out into the embrace of its Father, its Source, Who gives one life,

ולצאת ממאסרה בגוף הגופני וגשמי, לדבקה בו יתברך

and to leave its confinement in the corporeal and physical body to attach itself to Him, blessed be He.

When one is consumed with such an incontainable, rapturous love, seeking even at the cost of self-extinction to become attached to G‑d, there must now be a deliberate “return to the One.”

אזי זאת ישיב אל לבו, מאמר רז״ל: כי על כרחך אתה חי

Then one must take to heart the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory:18 “Despite yourself you must live” — despite your craving for expiry in klot hanefesh, you must nevertheless remain alive,

in this body, to keep it alive, for the purpose of drawing down the higher life-force from the Life of life, blessed be He, through the life-giving Torah.

להיות דירה בתחתונים לאחדותו יתברך בבחינת גילוי

Through this, there will be a dwelling-place in the lower worlds and created beings for His blessed Oneness in a revealed state,

Just as in an ordinary dwelling, a person’s identity is totally revealed, so will the true essence of the Divine Oneness be then revealed among the beings of this lower world.

כמו שנתבאר לעיל

as explained above, that this is the ultimate Divine intent — that a human being’s service of G‑d should make of the world a dwelling-place for Him. And this is the meaning of “Return to the One”: retreat from your love of G‑d in a state of klot hanefesh, for the sake of the “One”, for the sake of revealing G‑d’s Oneness in the world.

And, as is explained in the holy Zohar: “That there be One in one,” meaning that the unity which is hidden — the “One” of a higher spiritual world or level — shall become an aspect of the “revealed world,” becoming manifest in the Oneness of a lower world or level.

וזהו שאומרים: לכה דודי וכו׳

And this is the meaning of the text:19 “Come, my Beloved, to meet the bride (kallah)” — denoting klot hanefesh (kallah and klot being etymologically related). In this form of the love of G‑d, one’s klot hanefesh should be expressed through causing “my Beloved” to “come” — i.e., through drawing down the Beloved One, G‑d Himself, so that G‑dliness will be revealed in this nether world.

ובזה יובן מאמר רז״ל: על כרחך אתה חי ועל כרחך וכו׳

With this one will be able to understand the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Despite yourself, even against your will, you must live, and despite yourself you must die.”

From this saying, “Despite yourself you must live,” we learn that, in our service of G‑d, we should in the first instance desire the opposite of staying alive (klot hanefesh), and that remaining alive within the body has to be perforce, against our will. On the other hand, from the second saying, “Despite yourself you must die,” we learn that we should desire to remain alive, and that the opposite of life, klot hanefesh, should be against our will. If so, the question arises:

ואלא איך יהיה רצונו

What then should one’s desire be?

We can understand this according to what has been explained above: First one must come to the point where one can arouse within oneself such an intense love of G‑d that one desires klot hanefesh, while remaining alive is “despite oneself” — only for the purpose of fulfilling G‑d’s Will that one reveal G‑dliness and His Oneness in the world. This is the meaning of “Despite yourself you must live.”

Afterwards, though, when one is already in a state of “retreat”, then one should once more arouse within oneself the love of G‑d that surges ever forward in klot hanefesh. In this way, one injects into this state of “retreat” into the world a higher spiritual quality. Furthermore, in this state of withdrawing back into the world, one can possibly become drawn down into lowly mundane affairs. To forestall this possibility, one should once more arouse within oneself the sensation of “running forward,” loving G‑d to the extent of klot hanefesh. This is the meaning of “Despite yourself you must die” — i.e., against your will which is now in a state of “retreat”, the very opposite of klot hanefesh, which denotes expiring and leaving the body.

[This is] explained elsewhere at length with reference to thisMishnah: “Despite yourself you must live” — with the help of the “Life of life,” blessed be He, Who enables one to cope with this “compulsion” to live “despite yourself.”

This means that when one’s love of G‑d is surging forward in klot hanefesh, one forces oneself against one’s will to remain “alive” within the body, in order to reveal down here in this world the “Life of life,” that divine force which gives life to the world.20

The Rebbe cites II Kings 12:5, which states: “All silver (kesef) donated for sacred purposes, is to be brought to the house of the L‑rd” — and the following verse says that this silver is to be entrusted to the Kohanim. In spiritual terms this means to say that “sacred silver” (kesef), which as mentioned above is etymologically related to longing, is the province of the Kohanim.

The Rebbe also cites Torah Or, at the end of the Torah portion of Ki Tisa, where reference is made to the “sacred shekel,” which was a silver coin.

The Rebbe comments that this appears to contradict a statement of the Alter Rebbe in ch. 9. He speaks there of one who has attained “a love of G‑d, burning in his heart like a flame,...[and] his soul will...pine with desire,...rising to attain to the level of ahavah rabbah (‘abundant love’),” — and this higher level of love stems from “the element of Water.”

Here, however, the Alter Rebbe says that the superior form of love is that which “burns in one’s heart like a flame,...his soul pining with desire” — “as gold is superior to silver.”

The Rebbe answers his question by citing the response of the Tzemach Tzedek (in Or HaTorah, Parshat Achrei, pp. 95-96) to a similar question. The Tzemach Tzedek explains that there are two kinds of silver, ordinary silver and silver which has been refined sevenfold. This latter form of silver is even more valuable than gold. The same is true regarding the various forms of love: When the love is on the level of ordinary silver, then love which is like “flaming fire” and likened to gold is superior to it. However, “the great love of delights” is similar to that form of silver which is superior to gold.

The Rebbe comments that we cannot simply say that the Alter Rebbe quotes this verse in order to prove that a soul longs for G‑d. (a) This is self-evident. (b) If proof is nevertheless needed, the Alter Rebbe should also have supported his statement that the soul reaches the point of “love-sickness” by citing the verse, “...for I am sick with love.” (c) If it is indeed necessary to prove that the soul thirsts for G‑d, why does he not cite the verse in all the previous places in Tanya where he speaks of the soul’s thirst for G‑dliness?

The Rebbe therefore explains that proof is specifically necessary here, for in this instance we are speaking of the divine soul’s longing for G‑d, as opposed to the longing of the body and animal soul. For even when the divine soul finds itself in this world it still remains “truly a part of G‑d above.” Since thirsting after and longing for G‑d generally results from the person’s distance from Him, and the divine soul is not distant from Him, what is the reason for its longing?

In the case of a penitent this longing would be understandable. For as explained in ch. 7, the penitent’s soul thirsts for G‑d like the parched desert soil thirsts for water. Here, however, we are speaking of an individual who has transcended even the level of “longing exceedingly for his Father’s house.” How, then, can we say that a person so close to G‑d longs and thirsts for Him?

The Alter Rebbe therefore cites the verse which says that “my soul thirsts after you.” This was spoken by King David, who was of such a superior spiritual level that he had completely vanquished his evil inclination and had transformed his animal soul into holiness. Our Sages attest to this, when in commenting upon the verse, “My heart is slain within me,” they note that King David completely eradicated his evil inclination through fasting. When a person like King David who was totally devoid of any evil inclination states that his soul thirsts for G‑d, he is surely referring to his divine soul. Thus we see from this verse that it is indeed possible for the divine soul of a totally righteous individual to thirst after G‑d.

But the question still remains: How is it that someone so close to G‑d still longs for Him?

This is answered in the concluding section of the verse which states: “...in a land of barren wilderness.” Since King David composed this psalm in the Judean Desert, while exiled from Jerusalem, he was in a state of longing. Spiritually as well: when a divine soul finds itself in this world it is in a desert. While it may attain a lofty degree of comprehension of G‑dliness, thus finding itself in a Judean desert, its present spiritual state cannot at all compare to its former spiritual state, before its descent into this world. Hence its thirst for G‑d.

In addition, writes the Rebbe, it may be said that the quoted verse also serves to show that the very contemplation itself leads to this thirst, for the phrase, “My soul thirsts after You,” is preceded by the words, “L‑rd, You are my G‑d: I shall seek You.” Thus, meditating upon G‑d’s greatness, whereby the person seeks G‑d, leads to “thirsting after You.”

This is also shown by the verse, “My soul expires [with rapture for G‑d],” wherein King David — a completely righteous individual, not a penitent — demonstrates his soul’s longing for G‑d.

The Rebbe notes that by saying that the Levites of today will become Kohanim in the future, the Alter Rebbe anticipates the following question:

Earlier on it was stated that the love which is like “flaming fire” is superior to the degree of priestly love. The Alter Rebbe now states that the love likened to “flaming fire” is related to the Levites. However, since the Levites are on a lower level than the Kohanim, how can it be that their love is superior to priestly love?

This is answered by saying that the Levites‘ love is indeed superior; the world, however, is in need of elevation. When this shall come to pass, the present-day Levites will indeed become the Kohanim of the future, and will cease being subservient to them.

The Rebbe notes that the Alter Rebbe adds the words "of today" ("the Levites of today will become the Kohanim of the future") in order to forestall the following question: The Torah was given "unto us and unto our children, forever" (Devarim 29:28). Rambam comments that we learn from this verse that one of the foremost principles of the Torah is that it remains immutable (Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, ch. 9). How then can we possibly say that one of the laws of the Torah will (heaven forbid) be changed, so that the Levites become Kohanim, with all the changes in Torah law that such a transformation entails?

The Alter Rebbe therefore writes that this does not mean that those Levites born in the future will become Kohanim. Rather, it means that those Jews who are presently Levites will be born in the future into priestly families, thereby making them lawful Kohanim.

This, however, lead to another question: If this is the case, then there is nothing novel about it; it goes without saying that any child born to a Kohen is himself a Kohen.

The answer to this, says the Rebbe, lies in the fact that Levites are born as such because their soul's spiritual source and therefore their divine service - both in the Temple as well as now - is that of Gevurah. So, too, with regard to Kohanim: their source is Chesed. Since in the time after Mashiach's coming the service prompted by Gevurah will surpass that of Chesed, those who today are Levites will be born into priestly families so as to attain their superior spiritual level.

"For a brief explanation and reason for all the above, see Torat Chayim, Vayishlach, discourse beginning Vayikach, ch. 4; based on Torah Or 25b. See also Achrei Mot 5649, p. 25ff." (- Note of the Rebbe.)

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